Possibilities
by Warlordess
Summary: FINISHED Sequel to "Closure". AAMR. After his week at Misty's gym, Ash returns home, becoming aware of his feelings for her. Given the chance to tell her, he makes his leave to Cerulean City. How will it end?
1. Prologue: Pallet's Ketchum

**Title: **Possibilities

**Author:** Chibi/Warlordess

**Notes:** Okay, welcome to the first part of "Possibilities", AKA, the sequel to "Closure"! Amazing; I've been asking for years whether or not people have wanted me to write sequels to my fics, I've even said I would, but this is the first time EVER that I've actually gotten down to it. ((SWEATDROP)). Yeah, that _is _pretty sad. Oh, well! All of you Pokeshippers should just be glad that you're getting what you wanted from me!

Oh, yeah, the italic paragraph's are for memories either from "Closure", or whatever took place in between that fic and this one.

**Summary:** The sequel to "Closure". Ash has been going into insane anxiety rushes, all because that oh-so-common 'Two-and-Two' are finally coming together inside of his head... But is his plan just one big mistake after another..?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Ash and Misty. I don't own Pikachu. I don't own the flashbacks (unless they're the ones from my last ficcie). Now can we _please _stop with the interrogation?

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**Prologue:** Pallet's Ketchum

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Pallet, the quiet peak of the Indigo/Kanto region. The sweet rural village on the edge of the country. The Hometown of the famous Professor Oak, and his prestigious Grandson, Gary Oak. At least... That's what the town is known for in the brochures... But if you haven't read them, then you're not any closer than those other tourists who've come to take photographs of those wild Rattata scurrying all through the market place, or those Taurus and Ponyta that are living in the stables in the back of the Professor's lab.

Because there's another very brilliant, strategic, fast-paced Pokemon Trainer here. His name is Ash Ketchum. And if you ever got to know him, your first thoughts would be, _Man, this kid is one stupid idiot..._

But that's not for lack of evidence. There are many things that Ash Ketchum could have done differently. He could have trained harder to reign higher among the trainers in the Indigo League all those years back. He could have attempted to befriend Pikachu _before_ starting off through the Kanto region, blindly trying to capture Pokemon with his bright blue vest. He could have treated his friends just a little better, so that they wouldn't think that once they were gone, he'd forget all about them...

He could have tried harder to give Misty Waterflower what she wanted at that time.

But maybe you don't know what's going on, so let's start from the beginning...

Ash Ketchum traveled through at least four different regions of the Pokemon country, battling various opponents, catching and training various Pokemon, and earning various badges. And alongside him, he had the greatest of friends... Misty and Brock. Brock had left at some point for a short while, but he'd returned soon after, just looking for a way to get over his... Er... Complicated mess of a relationship with the beautiful, stunning, and brilliant Professor Ivy. Misty had always been there, though. Through the first three Leagues, she had stood like the pillar of strength for Ash, even if he'd never cared to notice. She was a little fierce in her game, but she was willing to do anything if it meant getting Ash out of trouble. She was like this loyal pet that would never abandon him...

...But then she left.

Or, rather, she was called away by her selfish older siblings, who had won a trip around the world, thanks to a second place victory in a beauty pageant. And so they were off, and so was Misty; on her way back to her Hometown in order to look after the family "fortress".

-

"So, this is it, huh? Today you go back to Pallet... Amazing, how many things have happened this week, huh..?" Misty's tone was small, almost transparent when compared to her usual stature. It was obvious that she was still hurt and embarrassed about the goings-on from the day before.

-

She had returned once, too, but only for a very short time, that had been constantly interrupted by Team Rocket, anonymous evildoers, and Pokemon Battles. And then she'd gone again.

It was a long time after that, that Ash had made such a humorous, and daring, mistake, that he ended up, once again, seeing her... And this time, sleeping only one room away. That's right; Ash Ketchum had found himself trapped with a childhood friend for a week in the same house, all alone together, with no adult supervision.

The knowledge of that would have given his mother a stroke at the time of his return, but, thankfully, he'd never gotten to tell her. She had only gone into a rant about his not calling her, leaving him little time to explain where the leader of the residence was.

But that was over two months ago. Ash had had hardly any contact with Misty since then... But he didn't know how he'd feel about talking to her after all that had happened.

For during that one week, things had changed so dramatically for them, and he couldn't place where he was with that anymore. He had found out something so insane (which was the only word for it) that he thought he might choke up at her voice.

He had found out that she loved him. And it wasn't a simple crush. It wasn't that "Well, you're the best thing I've got right now, but I'll be over you by next week," type of love. It wasn't even as simple as the One-Month-Boy-Band-Crush-Love thing that all teenage girls went through at some time or another. According to his "sources", which just happened to be a little scarlet book with Misty's territorial markings and the words "Misty's Diary: Keep Out Or Find Yourself In An Unimaginable World Of Pain" written in large golden lettering, it was true. It was pure. And she had been feeling it for a long time.

For him.

For Ash Ketchum, World's Biggest Dunce. The only stomach on Earth that could rival a Snorlax. The little, annoying, dense idiot with the dirty cheeks, the ignorant attitude, and the obsession with Pokemon Training.

She was in love with _him_, and nobody else.

-

"...Sometimes, knowing that he's never really cared about me like I do him, makes me regret ever..." Ash's voice broke off as he was interrupted.

"Ash?" The hesitant and heartbroken whisper of Misty shattered the silent and still air as he turned to see her looking at him, a towel draped around her body and a face that held the deepest regret, uncertainty, disbelief, anger, and other mix of emotions ever seen from her at one time.

But, her intrusion from his reading hadn't stopped his eyes from scanning the last couple of words before turning around. Incidentally enough, his quiet reading skill was more enhanced than his reading out loud.

"...Loving him."

-

And what had he done? Thrown it away; discarded it, just because he felt he could hold off a little longer, so that he could discover what this "love" actually was. Just to see if she would really be as upset as those women in the soap opera's his mother watched; because their level of depression always seemed to account for how much they were in love with a certain man.

And the case was, well... Misty was dying just a little more inside everyday. Because she kept hoping that his next phone call would contain the confession she'd been dreaming of for more than a year. And every time, he only let her down.

But she'd never stopped hoping.

Ash knew that what he was doing was like ripping a piece of her heart out every time, but he didn't know what else to do. Was it better that they just forget ever being friends, and lost contact with each other again? Or was it better that he fake a love he didn't feel for poor Misty's sake?

What was he to do, to heal a broken heart?

He had no idea just how deeply the soul bled when disregarded.

He knew only of Pokemon statistics, and his dream, and Pikachu, and Misty. His best friend, Misty, who had been in love with him for almost three years. His best friend Misty who, at first site, could hardly stand him when her bike had been burnt worse than a piece of toast that had been sitting in the toaster for over an hour. His best friend Misty, who had coached him through three and a half years of travels, teaching him all that she knew about training, defending him from people who didn't care about him, people who didn't understand.

His best friend Misty, the first person from the "outside world" (meaning beyond his mother and Pallet Town) to believe in his dream of becoming Pokemon Master, and to believe that he could actually achieve it.

-

"Mwah! The ferry leaves in less than ten minutes! I have to get to the docks, now!" Ash shouted, running through the sliding doors of Misty's gym. Misty was following behind him her shallow breathing from the exhaustion the main distraction.

It was a time of major panic for Ash. After all, if he missed this ferry, he'd have to wait until the end of the week and then he'd have to spend that time with Misty, in her gym, alone with her... Ash's cheeks burnt bright. He didn't think he could handle the pressure.

"There!" Misty gasped, as they neared the water-front about eight minutes later, "Now all we have to do is get you on there before they start to pull out!" But that was going to be hard, because in about thirty seconds, the ferry was supposed to leave the port for Pallet Town... And they were still about seventy meters away from it...

The horn blew for the ferry's leaving just as they reached the boardwalk, and rushed down the way. The large tub-boat began to pull out, and Ash, feeling his throat plunge into his stomach, turned around and slapped hands with Misty in salutations, and ran towards his only way home.

He hurtled himself at the white painted steel and felt himself grab onto the railing. He pulled himself up and collapsed onto the wooden deck, gasping for breath as his lungs stretched to their limits in an attempt to gain oxygen.

By the time he was fully revitalized, Misty was out of earshot, or eyeshot, for that matter. And he'd never gotten to tell her goodbye... Or thanks for the great, and eventful, week...

Or so most would think, including Misty.

But that was before she felt the small note pressed against her palm. She opened it and began to read the few lines Ash had scribbled.

Dear Misty,

You know I've all ready thanked you for everything you've given me this week. I mean, a home, a bed, a confidante, a few square meals, a bit of practice for the League I attend next, and you've probably heard it enough to lose your hearing, but I just had to say it again. So, thanks.

Also, I plan to come visit you again in awhile. Something exciting is bound to happen then, so you know I'll be there to wait for it. Or complete it. Maybe the most exciting thing is that I'll be able to see you again. And that would make my day.

I'm also going to travel after I see you face-to-face next time. And whether or not you're got plans of your own, I plan to bring you with me.

--Ash

Misty could only smile at his choice of words.

-

He owed her that much. He needed her to know that he really did miss her being there beside him. Brock was great and all, and so were Tracey, May, and Max (THEY WERE NOT!), but they had nothing on Misty. His first friend outside of Pallet, the first one to believe him.

And the first one to ever love him.

He was going to give her a reunion with the road that she'd never forget... Of course, all in due time.

First he was going to help himself... He was going to convince himself of what love was, even if it meant doing the impossible.

Even if it meant asking his mother for advice. Even if it meant a visit to the ever-hormonal Brock. Even if it meant making himself feel overly affectionate towards the one person he could trust. Even if it meant kissing Misty on the ball, just to see if that electric shock she was always talking about actually happened...

Even if it meant risking everything and doing all of the above.

---

**Notes:** Okay, the Prologue is finished! I'll post Chapter One... Whenever I get the chance. Unfortunately, unlike the last ficcie, this one isn't totally completed, and it has a long way to go. Anyway, hopefully, if this didn't make sense, don't worry. Things will come together in a little bit, hopefully by the next chapter.

See you next time!


	2. Chapter One: A Day Out

Title: Possibilities

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Author: Chibi/Warlordess

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Notes: Hey-lo, everyone! Below is the second part (or Chapter One) of "Possibilities", the sequel to "Closure"! I know some of you have really been looking forward to this, and those who are either just peeking in, or haven't given it a taste, please go read "Closure" before you advance any further into this chapter, because it'll probably make more sense then, okay? Also, I wanted to just give a little thanks to the reviewers from Part One, because your comments really have me all giddy inside. So bravo to you, for motivating Chibi to continue!

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Summary: The sequel to "Closure". Ash has been going into insane anxiety rushes, all because that oh-so-common 'Two-and-Two' are finally coming together inside of his head... But is his plan just one big mistake after another..?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Ash and Misty. I don't own Pikachu. I don't own the flashbacks (unless they're the ones from my last ficcie). Now can we _please _stop with the interrogation?

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Chapter One: A Day Out

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Ash sighed. He had needed a little bit of help... Not a shopping trip to the Market. But he should have seen it coming anyway, because, after all, he was asking his mom. His MOM... Was there something wrong with this picture? He held out his arms slightly, seeing how much they'd been ladled down with anonymous things that she'd asked him to carry.

And he STILL hadn't gotten to the topic he'd been waiting all week to discuss. After all, there was no higher figure to talk about girls to, rather than a girl, right? And his mom had been one for... How many years was it now? Well... Let's just say ever since she was born.

"Wow, Ash; isn't this just so adorable?" It was a blouse, and one that Ash didn't have a chance to see before it was strung over his head and she moved on to the next rack.

Blues, reds, yellows... The thought of the colors brought a memory to mind... Misty... Her bluish eyes, her bright red hair, her yellow shirt...

But this wasn't the time to think about his friend; he had more important things to attend to.

He watched as his mom removed two more tank tops (another thing that reminded him of Misty) from their hangers and, taking pity on him and his lack of freedom of movement thanks to the many things she'd hung overtop him, strung them over her own arm.

But then she moved towards the blue jeans shelves and pulled him along by an invisible leash and collar.

"C'mon, dear. I think I saw something nice over this way..." She was going to buy out the entire department store... The thought crossed his mind before he'd even given himself a chance to suppress it.

He sighed again; and they still had to go grocery shopping..!

"Hey, Mom... I wanted to talk to you about... Some things..." But his mom didn't seem to be listening to him; rather, she was trying to look at... "UGH! Mom, why didn't you tell me we were going into this part of the women's section?!" He turned away with a vibrantly-colored face, while his mom gave him a slightly skeptical glance that was mixed with thanks at her son's innocent personality.

"Honey, if you didn't want to come, than why did you offer yourself up for the day?" She had a slightly confused expression on her face, looking like the envision of blamelessness, while Ash turned half-red in aggravation.

...But he couldn't get mad at his mom, so...

"But I didn't, and I just wanted to have some time to talk to you, Mom! I mean, I've been away for so long..." He emphasized his point. He knew that, because of his mother's level of emotions, he could easily guilt her into it, "...And there are still plenty of places I have to go, so I thought this bit of time we have together could be put to good use." He added a desperate edge to it, in order to be sure he'd fully gotten her attention.

Her eyes were glowing with tears by the time he was finished speaking.

"Oh, my little Ashy..!" She flung herself on his shoulders and cried there, Ash forcing himself to keep up the facade for as long as he could before his mom was finally able to carry her own weight, and got up from her position, kneeling on his head, "Let's go have lunch together and talk about... About whatever you want!"

Of course, as they walked out of the store, they forgot that they were holding onto some currently non-purchased goods, and so the alarms went off, and security was called, and it took about another hour before everything was cleared up and they could go.

---

Mrs. Ketchum (A/N: I'd call her 'Delia', but this just seems more natural to me.) sweatdropped as Ash carried a tray filled with cheese burgers, pizza, steak, and other clash-able foods to a table in the eatery. She didn't know what they could possibly talk about when Ash was so thoroughly ready to stuff his face, but then, he was her son, and he'd been known to complete such a miraculous task before, so...

"What was it you wanted to talk to me about, Dear?" For once, there seemed to be a topic that slowed his pace at the table, but it wasn't much. Perhaps he was trying to take a few seconds to find a way to best introduce the topic, or perhaps he just had a full mouth at the moment.

"Well, you remember how I had to stay with Misty for that week, awhile back?"

"Yes..." How could she forget? The time he'd been away longer than needed, she'd been worried so much for her little boy. She knew he was growing up, and that soon they'd be approaching those few years when he wouldn't want to be involved with her at all, those Teenager-Embarrassment years, but that was more of a reason to treasure their times together now... Right?

"Well, something happened at that time... And it changed our relationship a lot... And I'm worried that things will always be different now, and what I should do..." With every part of his statement, her eyes widened just a bit more. He was fifteen; he couldn't _possibly_ be talking about _that_, could he?

"Oh, no... Ash, you _didn't_..." He gave her a hopeless, childish expression. He had. But he couldn't have--! She couldn't have been wrong before; her little boy was still... Her little boy, right?

"But, she told me... Misty told me that she loved me... And I didn't know how to react, and so..."

His mother's eyes darkened and blazed with a fury unseen before that moment. That young girl pushed her son into... She knew that Misty was a little violent, but how could she possibly trick Ash into doing _that_?!

Didn't parents talk to their children about these types of things anymore? How could they possibly be prevented with such uncaring elders out there in the world? And now, her poor Ash... Was it true that he was no longer as innocent as she thought?

"I-Ash, you can't possibly be telling me that you--"

"I'm sorry mom... I know it wasn't the best thing to do... But I was so confused. And so I did; I... I turned her down." The tears gathering at the edges of her eyes immediately vanished. Wait a minute... Were they even talking about the same thing here?

"Um... Repeat that again, Honey; please?"

"Okay, I guess... Misty told me she loved me... Or, well, I went snooping a bit, and found out that she did, and I was confused and she caught me and we had a talk about it and I didn't know what to do and so I turned her down..." He looked so ashamed of himself, but Mrs. Ketchum was on a whole nother level.

"Oh, Ash... I'm just so proud of you!" She grabbed him and held him close again.

Of all the reactions he was expecting, this had definitely not been one of them.

"...Huh..?!"

"I was so worried that you'd... That you'd..." She released him and made a certain motion with her body that made him go scarlet in the face, "...With her." She finished in a hushed whisper.

Ash started spluttering, "But, Mom--! Ew, no..! We're only fifteen years old! How could we possibly..?" The question was left unfinished.

"N-never mind, Sweetie... It was all a misunderstanding... So what's the big problem?"

"Well, after I turned her down... I dunno... I just know that it wasn't like I'd never feel the same way. Because I _do_ like her; I know I do... But it's not love yet... At least, I don't think it is... But things between us are strange now, and I need your advice on what I should do..."

Funny. When he'd first thought about opening up to her like this, he hadn't expected it all to come tumbling out of his mouth, just like that.

"Well, Honey... You didn't exactly go the right way about it... Or... What did you say to her, _exactly_?" Ash struggled to remember his words from that day... He remembered... He knew what he'd said; he remembered it all...

-

__

"I dunno what I should say to you... I dunno what you want me to say to you... I know that it shouldn't matter anymore, that it never should have mattered, that you grew into feeling something different for me. But, somehow, I can't stop thinking that nothing can ever be the same between us again. I don't think we've been the same for a long time, Misty." Ash surprised her by speaking, but she remained silent, "I guess that I just haven't noticed anything 'till now. Still... I guess that there's nothing to be done. I'm sorry, though, too... Because I can't say that I feel the same way."

"Ash..." She should have known this was coming... But that didn't take the sting away from hearing the words being said to her, especially in his voice. She turned away from him, and then looked back, but there was still the same, defiant expression upon his face, and he didn't look back at her, preferring to glance in the opposite direction, "I guess that that's it, then--"

"--Hold on." Ash interrupted her, "I'm not done yet, Misty. I can't say that I feel the same way for you, as you do for me... But I can't say that I don't. I'm sorry, Misty, because I dunno how I feel anymore. I don't wanna hurt you, but I know that if I say that I... You know... And then later, it turns out that I don't... That maybe I feel... That... Way towards some other girl... I just know that I'd end up hurting you, anyway."

"Pika..." They both jumped this time, having forgotten that Pikachu was still there with them, "Pikachu pika kachu pi..?"

"No, Pikachu... Everything's not okay with us." Ash answered for them, "And I dunno if it'll ever be okay again... But I do know that if I ever realize during the times that we are, or are not, together, that I love Misty, I'm going to call her up and tell her that I wanna talk to her... And I'm going to treat her as if she's the most wonderful, beautiful, talented, and worthwhile person in the world, and that she deserves someone whose good enough to treat her like a queen. And hopefully, when that day comes, she'll tell me that she never stopped feeling for me the way she did... And, then, we'll both experience true happiness." Ash smiled at her, and looked at her for the first time, and this time their eyes met.

-

He relayed his message to his mother, who seemed to be nearing tears again, but was trying with all of her might to hold back.

"Oh, Ash... I just knew that one day, the two of you would come together like this... I'm so glad that you've finally--" He interrupted her.

"But, Mom, I'm not together with her! We-we're _still _just friends..!" Somehow, that thought was somehow inaccurate. But they were still friends; just friends... Now-and-forever... Friends..? "But it's really hard to talk to her, and I want to keep up a relationship with her, but I don't want to end up hurting her like I did that time. I want things to be the same as before... I think..."

"Well, Sweetie... If you ask me, I'd say that you _are _in love with her. And so, the only way you're hurting her, is by not telling her how you really feel." It was a simple answer, and complete, but somehow it just didn't seem to be the one he was looking for.

He stopped for a moment, taking another bite out of his meal. Fast food. Not home-made, like Misty tried so hard to do for him. Food that was made in a publicly manufactured kitchen, where about twelve other meals for other strangers were being made at the same time. Fast food. Not made-by-Misty-especially-for-him food.

"Mom, would you really... Would you really be okay, if she and I got together? I mean, you know, in the future... You wouldn't feel neglected, or alone, or frightened, or angry..?"

"I might." They looked at each other, and Ash opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't let him before she continued, "But that's what mother's do for their children; they sacrifice. And if Misty is what would make you happy, then I guess it's not really my place to interfere. After all, my want to see you smile everyday is more powerful than my want to be the one that makes you smile."

"I... Mom..." He knew that it was one of those touchy-feely, mother-child moments, and he knew that he should probably be starting to feel embarrassed, but, somehow, it just wasn't in him. There was an overwhelming amount of thanks, and a realization. Because Ash had never known before that very moment exactly how much resolve it took for his mother to watch calmly as he walked over the hills of Pallet, towards Viridian Forest, for the first time, "I'm sorry that I'm asking all of these things, and for how oblivious I've been... I guess I was just... Too young, and naive to notice..."

"Don't worry, Ash. If I'd wanted you to know, I'd have made more of a problem out of it; or made it look more obvious." They gave each other a small grin, and continued to eat.

After they'd finished, Ash rushed both of their trays to the trash can closest to them, and returned to his mom's side, grabbing up some of the bags laying on the extra chair at their table.

"Can we hurry up a bit, though? Cause I've got a phone call to make." Mrs. Ketchum knew very well who it was that he wanted to call, and she smiled at him again, letting him lead the way.

---

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Notes: Well, that's all for now! Not much Pokeshipping, accept for the conversation, and the hinting, but, for those of you who are strong in your beliefs' towards the parent-child relationship, there's something for you to enjoy (hopefully)!

Anyway, thanks for reading... And **REVIEW**!


	3. Chapter Two: Jail Break

**Title:** Possibilities

**Author:** Chibi/Warlordess

**Notes:** Oi, I'm so sorry about the extended wait on this chapter! If any of you have failed to notice my postage on "Perfectly Imperfect", I've had a bad, BAD case of Writer's Block, and am still in the middle of it. I forced myself to type this up because a few... Choice... Readers told me that if I didn't continue and complete this ficcie, they'd never read my stuffs again! ((Sob!)) So thankies to _MistyLover87 _and _AbsolKitty _for their... Er... Profound and slightly creepy loyalty to me! It was much appreciated!

**Summary:** The sequel to "Closure". That oh-so-common 'Two-and-Two' are coming together inside of Ash's head, and he has a plan... But is it just one big mistake after another..?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Ash and Misty. I don't own Pikachu. I don't own the flashbacks, unless (and this is most-likely) they are from my last ficcie. Now can we _please _stop with the interrogation?

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**Chapter Two:** Jail-Break!

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I told you that I would visit you again, Misty. And... I wasn't lying... Ash thought as he stood in front of the vid-phone in the Ketchum home hallway. He picked up the receiver and began dialing.

There was a click and a very muffled voice, strangled by the cries of younger-sounding ones in the background, answered him. He smiled, knowing that at least things were normal at one of his friend's homes.

"Hey, Brock; it's me, Ash." There was some scraping, some yelling, and some vulgar language from the ear piece, and then Brock's face appeared on the screen facing him.

"Oh, hey Ash." There would have been more time for excitement if Brock wasn't being used as a human Totem Pole by his siblings and if he and the fifteen year old boy weren't... Well... _Guys_, "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Uh..." Ash looked away for the moment, knowing that trying to distract Brock from the truth would be pointless, and then he looked back, "Um... What would you say if I told you that I might be in love with Misty?"

"Oh, just a little something like 'I told you so.' And so here we go; I told you so, Ash." The older boy smirked at Ash's expression, a mix of anxiety, embarrassment, and anger all in one, "So, how did this startling revelation come about? I mean, I know that you're nowhere near smart enough to figure it all out on your own, so..."

"...HEY!" Ash stated, burned by the comment, "I am so! Just because this time I had a little help from Misty's diary doesn't mean that I couldn't have figured it out by myself! I mean, I'm perfectly capable of working things out! I mean, how could I not? Especially when she was acting all weird that week at the gym--"

"--You spent a week with Misty at the gym and you never told me?" Brock looked disconcerted and, eyes as wide as he could make them without actually opening them, he leapt forward like a teenage girl would and asked in a valley girl voice, "Like, spill! I want all of the details! I mean, how did you even end up in Cerulean?"

"Well, you see; it was like this..." And, sighing at how many times he'd had to do this, Ash began to recount his story.

-

"Oh, uh, yeah." Ash cleared his throat and seemed to come to a certain decision before bowling on into something that was under a completely different topic , "Uh, hey Misty... Do you think that I can come to the Gym and stay there a few days?" This question left Misty feeling plenty of scattered emotions and, for some reason that she was unsure of, pleasure wasn't exactly one of them.

She was glad that Ash would want to visit her but, well, this was sort of sudden for one thing, and it was almost too much to think that his mother wouldn't want to see or hear from him first.

"Er... Why would you want or need to stay here at the Gym, Ash?" It was at this point that he gave one of his sheepish "Heh"'s that almost always meant he'd done something wrong and Misty's eyes narrowed knowingly, "What did you do, Ash?" Her voice was now no longer confused or hopeful or in any way positive. Quite to the contrary, she seemed to be holding back the urge to strangle him through the screen.

"'Do'..? I didn't 'do' anything, Misty..." He broke off there and then apprehensively continued, turning scarlet, "... Except maybe confuse a ferry schedule or two..." He gave a nervous cough and went on, "I-I mean, it was really confusing! There was the blue route and then there was the yellow route and then the red and violet! And they all went to different places and the map with the color-coded arrows was really jumbled up and I ended up getting on the boat to Cerulean Bay instead of the one to Pallet Port..."

"Ash, we've taken the ferry a million times! How could you possibly mess it up? And why don't you just stay the night in the Center and then take the next ferry in a couple of days? They run more than just once a month, in case you don't remember..." She muttered, no longer very happy to hear from him, "Or maybe, you know, you could start walking now..."

"Well, see, about that. There's been a few problems along the way. You see, I was going to buy another ticket for Thursday's ferry to Pallet but the guy said that they'd closed down the harbors all over Kanto for the rest of the week because we're supposed to have fierce storms and negative weather patterns through next Monday." It was obvious that he was quoting because Ash could never speak so smartly, "And, for the same reasons, I wouldn't really wanna risk walking... And the Center was all ready full of other travelers and trainers when I got there so there's no room. Actually, that's where I am now and..." His face moved out of the way and cleared the view so that Misty could take notice of about thirty sleeping bags on the Waiting Room floor, "...As you can see, not much room for another person..."

"Well... Then..." Misty spluttered, trying to think of another excuse. She didn't really wanna sleep in the Gym with Ash, believe it or not. It could lead to all sorts of possibilities and now that she was finding it so much harder to avoid her feelings for him, it would be a really stupid thing to do, inviting him to stay the rest of the week just so she could give him plenty of chances to guess what was up with her, "Then take your own sleeping bag and sleep outside! You're a trainer; you can take it!"

"Misty, have you listened to anything I've just said? The guy says that the weather's supposed to be REALLY bad. Do you actually wanna risk me drowning out there and then have to deal with the guilt, not to mention the charges pressed by my mom because you let me die?" Ash was turning slightly red with embarrassment again, "Besides, I, er, forgot my sleeping bag on the boat and it's all ready left again."

"Well, you're just spouting holes on all sides, aren't you?" Misty stated, sighing exasperatedly. She couldn't help it. She didn't want him to drown, she didn't want to get sent to Juvenile Hall for 'Inhumanity', and she didn't want to feel guilty about him sleeping out in that weather anyhow when she had the nice, warm, comfy Gym waiting right down the road, "Oh..." She moaned, "...Fine, Ash. You're welcome to stay here." A smile instantly appeared on his formerly shying and desperate face, "Just don't expect me not to give you some type of work while you're here! I'm not gonna be any cheaper than the Center!" Immediately, his smile was gone but she'd all ready hung up on him.

-

"I... Uh... I see, Ash." He knew Ash had never been the brightest of bulbs, but his means of dragging Misty into such a situation were sort of crude and thoughtless, "But she actually ended up letting you stay with her? Well, what did you do while you were there?"

Ash blushed red and then looked away for a moment, "At first, she sorta confused me. We talked when I arrived... And she mentioned how I could always count on her if I needed a friend, and someone to help me get stronger as a trainer. And then she gave me a bucket and mop and told me to get started on my room and board payment!" His hand swept to the back of his neck and he gave a small, "Heh," from embarrassment, but Brock nodded, almost in understanding.

"She probably wasn't counting on your arrival. She didn't have anything planned, and no way to fend from your closeness as you stayed with her for a week or so. If you think about it, Ash, she's loved you for awhile. It may seem slightly unnatural for her to act the way she did, but in some cases, that's just how girls will react to things. She had hoped that not traveling with us would give her a rest from acting so subtle about how she cares for you; she never suspected a visit from you, and it came so suddenly. She just acted without thinking."

Ash raised an eyebrow. And all of those times when Misty would reprimand him for his leaping without looking, and there she was, doing the exact same thing.

"Anyway, it all turned out for the best, didn't it? You know she loves you, she knows that you know; and then you know that you love her, and of course she knows, so I don't see the prob--"

"--But she doesn't know, Brock." If Brock actually had eyes that were able to be open, they'd have popped out of their sockets at that point, "I didn't really know what to say when she told me... I told her that I didn't know how I felt, but that... If I ever realized, I'd get back to her on it... And then... We just sorta left it at that. And now I know, but it seems to stupid to wanna call her up and just... Say it. You know what I mean?"

"Ash, you do know that you're acting almost like..."

"...A coward... I know. But what would you do in this situation, Brocko? And I mean something that your hormones wouldn't be in control of."

His older friend seemed to be thinking very carefully, and then he replied, "Well, I can't exactly speak first-hand because I've never been in love with someone. Maybe it's best for you to experience this yourself, without other people's help, but just say how you feel. Actually, do that now. Close your eyes and pretend that I'm Misty and tell me how you feel about... Erm... Me."

"Um... But isn't that just kinda creepy and unusual, Brocko?" Ash could feel his legs start to turn to jelly. This was a little more than strange, and to say it to Brock, of all people?

"I know it is, but I can't determine the seriousness of your problem unless I get deeply involved. Now you go as deep as humanly possible and I'll see how bad you've got it for her."

"Er..." Ash made sure to look around the room, and into the hallway, just to be sure his mom wasn't snooping, and then looked back at the screen, "Ok..." He sighed and closed his eyes, imagining Misty's vibrant red hair and blue-green ocean-like eyes staring back at him, "Misty... I told you then that I didn't know, and that I didn't understand what it meant to be in love with someone. I didn't even feel that I could fully take you seriously, because of our age; but I think I get it now, just a little bit better than before. I know that I feel differently for than any other person I've ever met before, and I know that this feeling has been inside of me for awhile, and it won't go anywhere; ever. Not even when I die. All I can say is that it's always been a strange thing for us to be around each other, but not with each other, and I know that I was wrong not to see it before. I know now, though... Misty, I love you with all of my heart. I've loved you forever... And I will love you forever."

He was greeted by sniffles, and opened his eyes to see Brock staring back at him, tears leaking from his eyes.

"Ash, that was..."

"AGH!" Ash hadn't even realized that he was lost in his envision of Misty, and had forgotten that he was really talking to Brock. He leapt back from the screen and fell to the floor, then got back up and stared at his older friend.

"...Extraordinarily beautiful..." Brock didn't seem to care that Ash had yelled upon opening his eyes and seeing his face. He wiped at his eyes and whipped a tissue out of nowhere to clean his face and blow his nose a bit.

"Was it..?" Ash's heartbeat seemed to have returned to normal, and now he was looking slightly ill at the thought of saying all of that to Misty, "Do you think that it was enough for her to... Forgive me?"

"Forgive you? Did something else happen that I don't know about yet?"

"Not really anything big. But I just feel that I've dealt her such a serious blow, and then we've talked a few times on the phone and I know that I've let her down, because I've acted like... Almost like nothing ever happened, and that nothing is different now." Ash looked down, seemingly embarrassed at the thought of his idiocy.

"Well, Ash; don't forget that every wrong can be righted."

Ash looked up again, a small smile coming to light his features, "You think? You really think that there's anything I can do to make it up to her?"

"Sounds to us like the only thing she wants from you as repentance is... Well... You." Mrs. Ketchem stepped out from behind the door and smiled at her son, "Sorry, honey, but when a mother finds out that her son may be in love, she wants to know all of the details."

Ash's jaw dropped. If she'd been there the whole time, then that meant that she...

"I'm letting you off of your grounding early, but only to go to Cerulean and tell Misty how you feel in person. It would break the girl's heart if you just mentioned it casually over the phone. And when you get back..." Her eyes narrowed slightly, "We'll have a nice, long talk about this misinterpretation and lack of mentioning that there were no guardians during that week-long visit."

...It would mean that she overheard him mentioning to Brock that it had been only the two of them. Yup; she knew. Ouch. The burn of her glare had nothing on Misty, but that didn't mean that it wasn't painful.

Never-the-less, Ash smiled.

"Thanks, mom; and Brock. You guys helped me out more than you know..." hugged his mom and said goodbye to the breeder-in-training before pressing the Vid-Screen Off button and then headed for the door, "I'm going to get Pikachu, and my bag; and then, we're heading to Cerulean City!"

...And to you, Misty, because these thoughts deserve more than to be playing over and over in my mind... I'm gonna relay everything that I feel about you, to you...

"And don't forget your clean underwear!"

"MWAH!"

---

"Okay, so... You're absolutely sure that you're ready to go?" Mrs. Ketchem tore Ash's backpack from his back and dumped it onto the table, looking through everything inside, "Let's see... Comb... Check... Shirts... Check... Toilet paper, soap, and toothbrush... Check... Underwear..."

Ash, blushing vibrantly, pulled the bag and the essentials currently being listed away and stuffed them inside, "Yes, Mom, everything's there!"

"Well, then," Delia stared evenly down her nose at her son, and then beamed proudly, wiping a newly revealed tear from her eye, "Oi... My little boy's all grown up, and in love with his best friend of almost four years!" She sniffled and then raised a quick eyebrow, "Wow, whoever couldn't see this coming has about the brain capacity of an insect, now don't they?"

"Ah... Uh huh; yeah, Mom."

"Well, anyway, since you're going to be on the road for a bit... I mean, I know that it's horrible to spoil you; especially when these years on the road can be so helpful for maturing you for later in life... But I didn't want to send you off..." Mrs. Ketchem removed a cloth from on top of the counter next to the front door, "...Without sending a little insurance, just in case."

There were about five different containers of foods. They were all marked as "Pokemon Food", "Breakfast", "Lunch", "Dinner", and "Snacks".

"Oh, wow Mom; thanks! This'll be good for us!" Ash galloped to the door and began throwing everything into his bag, loading it on top of his apparell and making sure that everything was closed securely, after his mom's order to do so.

"Well, if that's all..." Ash opened the entrance/exit way and took one step outside before turning back, "Thanks a lot, Mom. I really mean it."

"I know you do... And I want you to mean it just as much when you tell Misty how you really feel."

Ash smirked, looking almost as confident as he did on the day he started out on his journey, "You can bet on it!" And then he was gone, on his way to Cerulean City.

---

**Notes:** Okay, not my best chapter. I'm sorry, everyone, but it's really, really, really, really, REALLY hard to force yourself to write in the middle of Writer's Block. Yes, this means that I dunno when the next chapter will be up so don't ask me unless you're hoping to be hit a bit over the head by Misty's mallet.

Anyway, review and give me lots of confidence so I can feel empowered, just like Ash, and refuse to give up on something, just like Ash, and finish out what I started on, just like Ash! Lol!


	4. Chapter Three: Truth and Lies

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Title: Possibilities

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Author: Chibi/Warlordess

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Notes: Okay, I really can't think of anything to say that could tell you all how truly sorry I am for not updating in over a month... I've tried every day to squirt out some amount of inspiration into this fic (believe me; you should see how many draft papers I've written that have only gotten past the first few sentences) but it hasn't happened until just recently. I hope that this chapter makes up for the crap that's gone on because it's what's been keeping me from typing this up, along with my Writer's Block: Expansion Pack. Lol.

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Summary: The sequel to "Closure". That oh-so-common "two-and-two" are coming together inside of Ash's head, and he has a plan... But is it just one big mistake after another...?

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Ash and Misty. I don't own Pikachu. I do own the flashbacks, as they are either from my head or my last ficcie. Now can we _please _stop with the interrogation?

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Chapter Three: Truth and Lies

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It had been three days, fourteen hours, and thirty-one minutes since Ash's departure from Pallet Town. God forbid it... He was counting the time down to the moment he would arrive at Cerulean gym. He was currently laying awake under the stars right outside of Mt. Moon, at the base of its entrance. There was a Pokemon Centre nearby but, so far, he had been unsuccessful in finding it.

Pikachu was perched atop his stomach, its breathing in tune with Ash's own. It was always comforting to have someone there with you when you were out in the middle of nowhere. Ash would never admit it, but it always seemed to unnerve him if he didn't have a friend at his side in the middle of the night. Usually the sight of them, if anything, was enough to quell the empty, dropping feeling in the pit of his stomach, and to assure him that he could handle anything that could sneak up on him.

Of course, thoughts of friends at his side led to thoughts of Tracey, Brock, May, Max... And, inevitably Misty; only Misty, in the end. Misty was the only one of the five of his companions who'd stuck it out with him alone, when Brock had left them on Valencia Island. She kept him company through the Kanto, Archipelago, and Jhoto Leagues... All up to the point at which she was forced to leave. It could only be described as amazing that he hadn't been able to tell that she wanted to stick it out with him because she was his _friend_...

Suddenly another thought invaded his mind; of all of the girls he'd met, he'd chosen Misty, fallen in love with only Misty. Why her? Why not... May? Or Sakura? Or Duplica? He could have easily made a relationship work with any of them, other than the fact that he was too young to recognize any type of romantic feeling at the earlier half of his journey. But it had been Misty who had ended up being the most important.

Looking at it like a timeline, he'd known Misty the longest, and the best... But it seemed more profound than that. Misty had been the one who'd proven to him that she would stick with him through anything, until the end of time. She'd been fierce, but she'd also been one of the many reasons for him to train harder and faster and longer before going off to do something stupid or necessary to strengthen his team. She was the voice of wit and reason, a lot more-so than any of those other girls.

May had been a... Great person... A great _girl_, now that he thought of it. But she hadn't clicked with him like Misty had. He'd gotten used to the way May acted, while Misty was so unpredictable, like himself when it came to throwing his body off of those cliffs. You could always count on Misty to help you vent your anger while May was less hostile and too... Soft in that way. Misty was the one to pull Brock away by the ear when his girl-ravaging got too out of hand, she was the one who gave Ash a good talking to when he was feeling bummed out by his loss in the League, she was the one to cool off his overlarge ego when it was needed, just so that he could think straight.

Now thinking over all of this, Ash felt perplexed. The question inside of his head had changed again. It kept doing that, but it seemed like it'd finally rested on one thing in particular. He'd thought that it was such a mystery, how he'd fallen in love with Misty, out of every other girl he'd ever met, but now it seemed wrong to think that way.

The real mystery was... Why had it taken him so long to fall in love with her at all?

-

__

Something was wrong with this. Misty was standing alone in a green fog, staring at the blank nothingness in front of her. It was like some sort of noxious gas, only she smelled nothing, heard nothing; it was very eerie when she thought of it.

But then her eyed widened. She'd been here before. Not in real life, obviously, because, well... Green fog was almost too impossible to create to be real, but she knew this place... From another dream; that's what it had to be. There were some difference, of course. Like the fog seemed thicker, and no one was at the other end of her range of vision. In the first dream, when she'd been drowning at Cerulean gym, Ash and Brock had been there, calling for her to try and wake her up because she was unconcious and drowning in the Cerulean gym, in reality.

She replied with the fact that she felt unable to, and she had closed her eyes as she replied with Ash's name escaping her lips... But, feeling red now, Misty knew that that was all beside the point. After all, the biggest missing piece of the dream this time around was the fact that Ash and Brock weren't there at all.

Misty collapsed to what she supposed was the ground. She hated the abysmal quiet and lonesome feeling she was experiencing at this point. She clasped her hands to her arms and began rubbing at them, as though hoping to warm them up from a non-existant chill. It was hurting her; something was tearing at her body, as though trying to separate some part of her from another.

Suddenly she heard something from around her, like a shot being fired into the air. Strange, the way this was going, but that was all she could manage to describe what she'd heard.

Misty leapt to her feet and placed her arms at her side in resolution. She was not going to let herself go just because of whatever was going on. She knew that Ash and/or Brock were here somewhere, and she was going to find them. After all, someone was obviously not far from her, with all of the racket they were making.

She took a step forward and something strange happened. It had all been green, airy nothingness before, but now there seemed to be something else going on. It was almost like the Red Sea; the green fog was parting to let her through, almost showing her a pathway to whoever else was there.

And she took it.

She managed to breathe once before walking onward, her arms still at her side, but much more loosely now. It was like walking through a path in the forest, really, minus the bug Pokemon trying to continuously crawl up her leg. She couldn't help feeling grateful for that.

Suddenly the dense fog returned to cloud her vision. Thinking that maybe she had absentmindedly wandered off of the trail, it took her about two seconds of panic to notice that there was suddenly a sky above her; a gray, devastatingly thundering sky.

Misty took a step back and managed to feel around her waist, hoping for a Pokeball to turn up, just in case she needed one, but no such lucky apparition appeared. That's when it happened.

The sky roared in some sort of disapproval and struck hard with a bolt of lightning that would inevitably kill her and she felt her brain go numb and her legs turn to mud, collapsing beneath her. If she didn't find time to move as soon as possible then... No; she was all ready...

A small body hurtled between her and the thunderbolt and the squeal of a mouse interpreted the action just played. Pikachu had appeared out of nowhere and taken the dive for her, managing to absorb the majority of the attack and deflect the rest. When Pikachu hit the ground afterward, he turned hurriedly and inspected Misty to be sure that she was all right.

"Pikachu; you don't know how happy I am to see you! I thought that I was gonna wander around here until I died..." She broke off, "Thanks so much for what you just did. I--" She broke off as another voice resounded in the area.

"Oh; Misty! It was you? Man, I thought that you were the type to take care of yourself and not depend on others to bail you out!" It was Ash and he was suddenly kneeling beside her and grabbing Pikachu from her arms, "I didn't know that you were really such a defenseless weakling."

Thinking it to be some sort of joke (especially since Ash was wearing a wry grin on his face) or that he obviously wanted her to retaliate, Misty glared at him and took the incentive, "What?! I can't believe you just said that to me, Ash Ketchum, Mr. Overly-Emotional."

Unbelievably so, Ash only snorted at this comment and replied, "Is that the best you can come up with? Maybe that thunder strike still got to you because your brain has obviously been fried to the point of no recovery. I thought that you were the witty one, too. Guess I never really knew you that well, though. Especially not with you trying to act so weird and aggressive all the time."

"Yea, well..."

"What? Don't have anything to say for once? You know, there are some things about you that I couldn't stand when we first started traveling together..."

"C'mon Ash; you're kidding, right? I mean, you told me just a few months ago that we were the best of friends..."

"And, since that time, It couldn't be helped that I added another dozen or so things to that list..."

"...You said we'd be together forever..."

"Oh, yea. About that... There's been a change in plans. I did call you out here for a reason, after all."

He had what? He'd called her out here...? What could he possibly have to say that could be any worse than everything else he'd said so far?

"Ash, please... I know that you're just trying to be funny about this but, really... The joke's getting old..."

"Joke? Not really, Misty. You see, I really can't stand anything about you anymore... Well, I never could, actually, but that's beside the point. I tolerated you for as long as I could, as long as it took to get you your bike and to get rid of you so that I could be at peace. You got what you wanted, and so now all I have to say is that everything we've been through was only necessary. You are of bare minimum relevance to me and, well, frankly, there's no reason for me to continue associating with you in the first place."

At this point, the water trainer looked to Pikachu, hoping that it would do something to rid Ash of his attitude, either shocking or humorous, but the Pokemon seemed to be feeling along the same lines as its master.

Misty was silent for a moment. Contrary to the beginning of this whole experience, when she'd been unbelievably tense, her whole body seemed to have gone limp. It seemed that only her mind even remained in this time and place and everything else had totally gone. Suddenly, she wanted nothing more than to disappear. She felt humiliated, somehow; naked because of the fact that she'd bared her soul to this boy only a few months ago, given him all that she could, and now, out of the blue, he wanted nothing to do with her.

"So, I guess what I'm trying to say to you today, Misty, is that I'm going one way, and I want you to go another. And I don't ever want to hear your name spoken again because, just so you know, your voice, your face, your... SELF... It all makes me want to vomit."

That was when he turned around and walked off. There was no actual goodbye, just his footsteps and that lonesome gust of wind that you always see in the movies that signifies something final and absolute. Misty continud to sit there, looking like a drone or corpse that was so very much alive, yet had lost her soul in the struggle for existence.

She closed her eyes and managed to squeeze out a couple of tears in spite of herself. She hated this feeling, but there seemed to be no way of stopping it. The tears fell down her cheeks, like she knew they would, but she didn't feel it. She supposed the only reason that she knew they were really falling down her front was because she had nothing else to believe, and so that thought caused it to be true, if not real...

She'd never had a nightmare like this one. It seemed so unfabricated, so... Terrifyingly real. Perhaps... Could Ash really think this way about her...?

-

Her eyes blinked open and, not bothering to sit up and take in her surroundings, Misty wiped the tears trickling down her cheeks. She knew it had been a dream; it was just so unreal... And yet it certainly hurt to hear his voice talk to her that way...

Ash's...

Suddenly, there was something else causing a disturbance; a blaring, electronic voice from outside her door.

****

"Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone-call, phone-call! Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Ring, ring, ring! Phone-call, phone-call!" _There was no way that someone was actually calling her at_... Misty turned to her bedside alarm clock... _5:30 a.m_...?

Misty groaned and got out of bed as fast as her legs would enable her and walked hurriedly out of her room into the upstairs hallway. She managed to make a slight run to the vid-phone right inside the main entrance and tap the 'On' key on the seventh ring phrase.

"Oh, hi! Is this the Waterflower residence? I'm trying to reach Misty Wat--Misty?" The voice was a female one; a young, vibrant, female one, "Is that you? Hi!"

"...May? H-how did you... Who gave you my phone number?" The red-head managed to quirk an eyebrow interestedly as the brunette grinned in her direction.

"Brock gave it to me before he and Ash left the region for their hometowns. I asked for it because I wanted to try and keep in contact with you. Sorry, but I haven't had a chance to call until now because... Well... Things have been happening lately. Max is studying up on everything with the prefix 'Poke' because he's hoping to get his Trainers' License next month and I've had a few new... Interests... Of my own." She winked at Misty as though some sort of connection all ready existed between them.

"Oh? So who is he?" And so there seemed to be. Misty cracked a smile at the young, flustered teenage girl as she looked away, obviously not wanting to get into it any further, "C'mon, you can tell me. It's not like I have the ability to blab."

"Oh, uh... Just this guy I've known for awhile now..." Something was suspicious about May's tone of voice.

"It's... It's not Ash, is it?"

"...What? No way! I can proudly say that I don't have it in for you, Misty. I know who he truly loves..." She winked again, obviously meaning something on Misty's behalf but the Cerulean native was suddenly overcome with a vision of Ash as he glared down at her with that strange smirk on his face, as he told her exactly how much he despised her...

"R-really...? That's great, then. So, is there any real reason why you called so early in the morning?" Misty questioned as she attempted to stifle a yawn. May seemed to blink in confusion before something hit her.

"Oh, no! I'm so sorry! I totally forgot to factor in the timezone differences between Hoenn and Kanto! Ugh, I'm so stupid!" She stuck her tongue out in sillyness and knocked on her head to show what she meant, "I guess I could try calling you back later, you know, if you wanna talk to..."

"Oh, don't worry about it. Something tells me I won't be getting back to sleep for awhile so why not chat it up for now?"

"Won't be getting back to sleep, huh...? Why not?"

"Well, uh... I had a... Erm... Nightmare...?"

"Must have been something, huh? To get you to act up like this... You look sorta pale... What happened in this nightmare, anyway?"

Misty sighed... She didn't want to tell May what had gone on in her dream sequence, but she also knew that nothing good could come out of not confiding in someone when she knew that's what was needed. So Misty laid back in the front desk chair and grew comfortable, enough so that her mouth opened and everything that Ash had said tumbled out.

May was a brilliant listener, as well. She seemed to be like a paying audience at one of those autobiography sit-in shows at the theater. She didn't interrupt Misty, and when the red-head was finished speaking, she gave her the full blast of her "Don't-worry-about-it" expression.

"I'm sorry that you had to dream all that Misty, but really, it's not like it has any real meaning to it! I mean, Ash loves you! He's loved you for at least as long as he's known me. And he's never acted anything like that towards you, so it's not like it's to be expected..."

"But I'm sure that I've been asking for it. I mean, really... I've done so much to him, hurt him in so many ways, and he's still been such a good guy... What if he puts all of that together and realizes that I've been treating him like scum all these years and he takes it in such a way that it overwhelms him and he says those things and--"

"--Whoa, whoa! Hold on, there, Misty! First off, from what I saw of you in Hoenn, you and Ash are at least the greatest of friends. The only thing that was missing after that little adventure with your Togepi was a goodbye kiss!" May giggled as Misty turned respectably scarlet, "Look, I may not know you as well as Ash or Brock, but I do know that you and Ash are really, really close... Otherwise he wouldn't have felt so comfortable around you! I mean, he's a young teenage guy! When we were traveling together, he pulled his sleeping bag at least six feet away from me every night just so that he could sleep without waking up in the morning with a cricking neck because of the stiff discomfort!"

At this, both girls took a moment to laugh.

"...Look..." May calmed down enough to look almost desperately serious and Misty followed her suit, "...I won't lie to you. In the beginning, I did have a thing for Ash. I almost thought that it was love; I really did... But then I realized something... Misty, do you remember when we first met in Hoenn and I got all excited and jumped at you? I told you that I'd heard so much about you? Well, who do you think told me your entire life's story? Ash talked about you almost every single day! Misty did this, Misty taught me that, Misty had that same bathing suit, Misty is really Super Girl! I swear it was an obsession... It never died out, though. You were important until him until the end of the journey... And, I think that you're still very important to him now..."

"Really?" Of course... Misty should have guessed all of this. It was nothing new, really. She and Ash were like two Caterpie's joined in a single Metapod! She guessed that... She just needed to be reminded of it...

"Look, Misty. I haven't had enough time to steer you wrong! So just take my advice! Ash loves you more than anything else...! And don't you ever dare to think differently..."

---

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Notes: YES! FINISHED! OH MY GOD! THANK YOU! Whew... Okay, then... I know, I know... I brought May back from the dead... Yay for my all-mighty authoredness! (XD) Just take it as it goes, kay? Now, I don't really know what else to say besides thanks for all of the reviews, and I hope to get just as much this time around! So that means get to it or perish!


	5. Chapter Four: Sleeping Beauty

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Title: Possibilities

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Author: Chibi/Warlordess

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Notes: Oh, wow... I'm so sorry that I haven't updated this in over a month. I just haven't really been able to think clearly. I've fashioned myself a new sleeping schedule and had tons of work at school because finals are coming up in a few months. Plus... I had to choose my classes for next year! Talk about pressure. Anyway, yes, hopefully I'm posting this before my two month deadline as that's obviously what I'm going for.

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Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I don't own Ash and Misty. I don't own anything. Now can we please stop with the interrogation?

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Summary: Ash returns from his week-long stay with Misty and his mental capacity is running low thanks to Misty's admittance of love. What is he to do when he finally realizes that he loves her too? AAMR. The sequel to "Closure".

oOoOo

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Chapter Four: Sleeping Beauty

oOoOo

"Let's see... Misty, there's so much that I've been holding back from you lately. I'm sorry that I haven't been keeping in contact but things have been kinda strange between us, and we both know that that's putting it lightly. Well, anyway, what I'm trying to say is that there's a reason for my popping up out of nowhere and I just..." Ash shook his head.

"Well, that's nice and all, sonny, but I don't really think that you're my type." The old woman before him looked slightly red in the face and she had her palm to her cheek, "But, maybe if you were a little older..." She looked him up and down and he completed an anime fall.

"Wah! No, no, no! This isn't how it's supposed to go!" He wailed, looking down the street to the Cerulean gym, with it's familiar Seel trim gleaming in the distance, "What am I supposed to do...? I can't just walk up to her and... And say it, can I, Pikachu?" The old woman who'd overheard him began to walk off, muttering about weirdo's who talk to creatures who couldn't necessarily talk back.

"Pikachu chu kachu Pikachupi, Pikapi."

"Huh... You don't think that she'll care how I say it? That she'll appreciate my loving her anyway? But Pikachu... I know Misty. She'd want this to be perfect and, well, I mean... I don't wanna mess it up!" Ash scratched the back of his head in a panic, "I mean, I love her, I really do and... Wow, that sounds weird when you think about it... But, no!" Ash shook his head rapidly and stomped his foot, turning in the direction of his friends' home, "I'm not going to think about it! I'm just going to go up to her and... And... Something."

Pikachu sweatdropped at the thought of how little Ash had thought out his planning and then jumped onto his shoulder as he began to lead the way to Misty's gym and house. His feet were doing something weird, though. It seemed that while one of them was working extra hard to get Ash there in a hurry, the other was almost hoping to turn around and to the other way; it was a reflection of Ash's doubt.

It wasn't like he had any reason to think that Misty had gotten over him so easily. It was just that, every time someone falls in love, no matter how simple and clear it is that the other person feels the same way or not, that person just can't see it. And though Ash knew that Misty had loved him almost four months ago, he couldn't help feeling like a deer caught in the headlights of his possible fate.

What if Misty _had _moved on? What if she was currently out to lunch with another "dashing, young man"? What if she had done something really stupid like committed suicide because Ash hadn't contacted her in so long and she had been left in doubt of how he felt for her? What if...?

Ash was now at the front door to the Gym. This was it. This was the huge confrontation that he'd been terrified of going through for so long. This was the day, the moment, that had been killing him inside ever since the prospect of it had come to him. This was his "moment of reckoning". Okay, so he was slightly delirious from the thought of denial or heartbreak. But could you blame him? Ash had never been in love before, so he didn't know what to expect. And, for such a long while, hadn't even know that he was.

****

"Welcome, Trainer, to Cerulean City Gym. Please select one Pokemon at this time, as we will be sponsoring one-on-one Pokemon battles today, and approach the main desk with your final choice. There you will be offered your available battle time. Thank you!" He entered and the chirpy automatic voice reminded him of where he was. Suddenly, he heard footsteps and, feeling his heart flutter madly, he leapt behind the front desk, landing between a couple of potted plants and the wall of the building. (His mind seemed to agree, with a loud resonating cry of, _"Dive, dive, dive!"_)

"Hmm... That's strange. I thought that I heard the doors open..." Misty's voice echoed from around ten feet from him, cold and exhausted from a hard mornings' work, but then he heard her retreating again. Ash sighed, blissfully aware that he was now in the clear, when he realized that Pikachu wasn't next to him.

"Oh, no... He wouldn't do this to me..." But he could hear the soft padding of his little buddies paws across the linoleum floor, and it sounded like he was heading towards, "No!" He didn't want to see Misty right now, and he didn't want her to see him, let alone know that he was even there, "Pikachu! Pikachu, get back here right now...! I-I'll buy you five bottles of ketchup if you do!" He whispered desperately and felt an unbelievable wave of luck wash over him when the scurrying of the paws were suddenly becoming louder.

He sighed in relief as his friend jumped onto his bent shoulder. And, now... He was left to himself, wondering how on Earth he was going to present himself to Misty after a failure of an attempt such as that. He didn't have many choices. He couldn't hide behind a flower pot forever (although the idea was very tempting) and he couldn't just walk up to her and say it, everything that he was suddenly feeling so strongly, just like that. And his throat was so dry that, even if he managed to remember the words he'd spoken to Brock that day almost a week ago, he wouldn't be able to say them aloud to her.

But there was one thing about Ash that always helped him on his journey and in life in general, one thing that propelled him to exceed his greatest limits and everyone's expectations of him, and that was his will to succeed in whatever he chose. Maybe that was why he was such a strong trainer, why he was such a well-rounded person and friend, why he had such a pure heart, and why Misty fell in love with him. Maybe that's why he felt that he owed it to her to be just what she hoped he would, to be the Hero.

Ash found himself on his feet with a determined expression and his fists raised in hopeful triumph. Though his knees felt like pudding and his resolve was slipping away like sands through an hourglass, he still had enough sanity in him to realize just what he was going to do. He wanted Misty to love him no matter what... Pikachu had been right. Sure, Misty was a romantic and everything, and so a hugely-anticipated, lovely, beautiful confession would have won quite a few points in her book, but Ash didn't need those. In the end, her knowing that he did indeed reciprocate her feelings after such a long time away from each other, after such a long, stale silence, and after such a prolonged heartbreak, would be enough for her. He knew it.

Ash took one cautious step out from behind the desk and began heading towards the arena. Pikachu was giving encouraging, "Pika's", every other step and it filled Ash's body with some warm strength that he'd hardly ever felt before. It was like that feeling he got when he bonded with a new friend, or one of his Pokemon, for the first time. Like during that snowstorm back in Kanto, when he'd almost lost Pikachu and ended up having been stranded in a frosted snow burrow with only his Pokemon for company. Or that day when Misty had had to leave him and he'd felt as though a part of his life was just flowing away with the river. It had been even worse when he finally realized that she was going to be gone for such a long time. He'd hoped that it would only be a week before she and Brock were back, but that hadn't been the case for her...

Having reached the Arena entrance, Ash snapped his eyes open (he'd closed them in hopes that it would prolong her unknowing attitude to his being there) and found the area around him completely devoid of any redheaded teenagers. Or teenagers at all.

But then, where had she gone...?

Ash stepped back outside and looked up the staircase to see the dark corridor beyond. He had a feeling that he knew where she was hiding away from the rest of the world... But that meant that he'd have to invade her privacy again... Could he deal with trespassing on her? He'd done it once before and, though it had ended up all right, had almost lost her friendship as a result. He didn't want to feel that bad more than once... He could hardly handle the possibility of her hating him the first time...

Ash, breathing deeply, made a mad jump for the stairs in front of him, leaping higher two steps at a time. When he'd reached the top, he knew that he'd been right. Something he remembered from his last visit to the Cerulean Gym was that Misty had a knack for leaving her door open only when she wasn't inside her room. And, this time around, her door was closed.

__

Occupation.

No vacancy.

The thoughts passed through his brain as he closed in on her territory, as he knocked on the door but heard no answer. Remembering what'd happened last time, he sighed deeply. She must have been napping. She was asleep, meaning that he could walk inside without expectantly getting his head ripped off...

He felt his hand close in on the doorknob and, before he even comprehended what he was doing, it had been turned and he was staring, once again, at the four beige walls of Misty's bedroom. She had fit herself snugly into her bed on her own this time, which was good, because Ash didn't feel that his nerves would let him handle carrying her weight from her desk chair to her current position.

He tiptoed inside, ignoring Pikachu, who was pulling adamantly on his ear as though to try and forcibly remove him, and picked up the chair to pull it to Misty's side. The tick-tock of the Pidgey Coo-Coo Clock on the wall was almost dreamy, and made Ash feel slightly more comfortable, but he was nowhere near tired. His constant reminder of how mentally ill he felt was his heart, which was beating rapidly, as though it were being driven by a pair of wings. Perhaps it was because he knew that he loved her now, that his soul felt like it could soar to the heaven's and back again so easily...

His hands were trembling, but his eyes were wide enough to take in Misty's unkempt state. Ash knew why she looked so ragged. She must have been worried about them. He hadn't called her before he left for Cerulean (he wanted to surprise her that badly) and it had been over two months before that since they'd last been in contact... He knew that she was probably terrified that he'd not called her up or written on purpose. Her face was pale and, though she was soundly sleeping, the shadows under her eyes proved that it was the first time in a good while since she'd been able to. Her hair, though brushed, looked a little dry, probably because she hadn't bothered to take good care of it in her haste to wait for him in case he showed up at her door, and she'd forgotten to take it out of the ponytail.

Misty always removed her scrunchie before going to bed. She knew better than to let her hair sit like that, especially while she slept, because it would leave her tresses messy and tangled, and she took better care of herself than to let that happen to her. She must have been feeling especially horrible if she hadn't bothered with it this time.

Without thinking twice (let alone, once), Ash leant over her and attempted to remove the ponytail holder himself, but he was caught off guard by the calm expression on her face... Which was barely three inches away from his now. His fingers were trailing in her hair, which lay sprawled as loosely as possible against the pillow, and Ash's eyes were trailing over her facial features...

He'd never felt like this before. He knew that there was something he wanted to do... He felt it inside of him... What was it? It was this deep, gutsy feeling... It was no longer just nerves that kept him there, frozen, it was bewilderment. He could feel Misty's breath on his cheek, and he noticed that he was leaning in...

Suddenly, he felt his lips brush against something. He knew what it was now. That feeling was slowly intensifying, and he knew what it was. He loved that feeling... Ash knew that it wasn't over yet... He could feel his lips against hers again, but...

Wait. Was she stirring?

Ash panicked... What if she woke up and saw him like this...!

He threw himself away from her and the chair that he was sitting in slowly began to teeter in the direction of the door. If he fell, he knew for sure that she would wake up... What could he do to stop everything from going wrong again?

oOoOo

****

Notes: Thank you for reading. I was pressed for time on this chapter, and I know that it turned out badly, so you don't have to tell me even once. And please don't flame me, especially since I all ready know that it's bad. Just criticize me and then go on your way. I'm sorry about this... Erm, in any case, because this chapter came up short (or, at least, that's what I think), I wanted to put a few Shout-Outs to some of my reviewers! Since there are so many of you (when you consider my older works and the amount of reviews I got for them), I don't think I'll be able to write all of you a single note, but I'll definitely post all of your names! Remember, this is just for part four of the fic, so if you reviewed numbers one through three and not the last, your name won't be seen. Sorry, but I'm just lazy at this point...

oOoOo

****

Shout-Outs!

_Brogramn_- Well, you were the first person, yet again, to review my last chapter. Wow; you're a real big fan of mine, aren't you? Lol. Anyway, thanks a lot for your continuous support and for being so into my fics that you'd get to reading them even without a computer of your own; that shows Chibi that people actually like her stories... Also, yea, the Writer's Block still hasn't left. It took me this long, sadly, to think of how to end the plot for this chapter, let alone wherever I'm going to head next... Also, yea, something you need to know about me... Any grudge that I may possibly have against a certain character is shown bare-to-nothing in my fics. I don't like my personal issues to come in the line of my writing. It's like poor sportsmanship. I don't wanna have any part of it.

_KawaiiCherryBlossom_- Well, I'm glad that I could be of assistance. I know what it feels like to come home, exhausted, and find a nice surprise waiting for me. That time when I went to the library after school and found out that you'd dedicated a fic to me was definitely one of them! As for the update, maybe you didn't notice, but it was still a month before I managed to post it... And this time around, it was two... Ouch. (;;) The friendship with May may seem strange or new, but I try to do that in every fic that I write. That, and I also try to refrain from any Advanceshipping. So, yea... There were tons of grammar problems! This is how I can tell that you only skim the chapter, not actually read it! I found three typo's right after I posted the chapter! XD

_Uranasu_- Oh, I'm sorry for stealing part of your idea! If it helps, you don't have to worry because I didn't disclaim it so it's pretty much open for anybody to use... All though, I'd prefer it if you didn't go and take it just like that... Lol. Anyway, thanks for the review! Those are pretty rare when they're coming from you!

_psheartslie_- This is funny. One reviewer tells me that they're pleased that I updated in such a short time, and you tell me that it's great that I've finally done so. How funny... Anyway, yea, the only way I'll really include May is as a good friend of Misty's and a probable Pokeshipper. I'm tired of competition fics between them, and I don't support Advanceshipping, so I don't see the use for it.

_Hikashi Suzuki_- Well, I try not to hate May, though, as you know I've all ready stated on my site, I'm sort of torn with her. Part of me loves her cause she's that adorable, sweet, lil' girl, but a larger part of me doesn't like her at all because she replaced Misty, she had no idea what she was doing at the beginning of the Hoenn/Advanced anime, and because certain whack-jobs think that she and Ash have a thing going on between them. Anyway, do I really rock:P

__

Okay, one more... Who will be the lucky person?

_WaterBlaster_- Hey, babe! XD I'm so happy that you reviewed my fics... Every single one of them... (;;) Um, also, something you must know (but you probably guessed this all ready) is that the fic isn't finished yet! Don't worry, though! I think that one more chapter might do it! I hope that I get some more reviews for these last two parts combined because I really wanna surpass my last record: Eight chapters and 153 reviews. Woohoo! So, yea, I didn't leave you hanging! You just misinterpreted the third chapter! ...Come back to me, friend and reviewer...! XD

****

Ending Shout-Outs!

Okay, so yea, I'm sorry if I didn't give you a personal reply. Perhaps next time I'll do so... In any case, all reviewers names (including those above) will be listed below. Each and every one of you has my thanks! Try to check out my other works by clicking on the link to my Bio-Page!

****

Thanks to the following reviewers/friends/fans:

1.) Brogramn

2.) Jirachi the Legend

3.) KawaiiCherryBlossom

4.) AbsolKitty

5.) MistyLover87

6.) Sensational Sista

7.) Uranasu

8.) bluejolteon

9.) Hakajin

10.) Funkyafroman

11.) litto-passionfruit

12.) Mocchi

13.) gladdecease

14.) Hikashi Suzuki

15.) Chibimatchmaker

16.) Mulatdood

17.) jade destiny

18.) Chaos-Paladin

19.) Lord Cynic

20.) Queztaxx

21.) WaterBlaster

22.) chibi-b

23.) AerodactylMaster

Thanks to each and everyone of you! (Wow, isn't that unique...? ) I'm really happy that all of you had nothing but positive things to say about my fic so far! Please remember to review again this time, and go easy on me, as I'm still struggling through my Writer's Block, so this is one of those far-from-my-best chapters.

Ja ne!


	6. Chapter Five: Fulfilled

**Title**: Possibilities

**Author**: Chibi/Yetsu/Warlordess

**Notes**: Well, after about two-plus months of downtime because of computer and inspirational trouble, I'm back with the final installment of Possibilities. I've decided that the next fic I post will be completely unrelated to this series with Misty-centric themes, AAMR, next-to-no Max, and lots of violence. Awesomeness, no? Wahahah… Anyway, yep, I hope you enjoy this last part and stay tuned for my next fic, which is, unfortunately, still untitled. Eh heh… For those who really wanna know when it arrives, leave a request in your review with your email address and I'll email you when I post it. ;;

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Pokemon. Please forgive me.

**Summary**: The sequel to "Closure". After his week at Misty's gym, Ash returns home, becoming aware of his feelings for her. Given the chance to tell her, he makes his leave to Cerulean City. Will it end happily ever after? AAMR.

OoOoO

**Chapter Five**: Fulfilled

OoOoO

_Suddenly he felt his lips brush against something. He knew what it was now. That feeling was slowly intensifying, and he knew what it was. He loved that feeling… As he drew back, Ash knew that it wasn't over yet… He could feel his lips against hers again, but… _

Wait. Was she stirring?

Ash panicked. What if she woke up and saw him like this…?

He threw himself away from her and the chair that he'd been sitting in slowly began to teeter in the direction of the door. If he fell, he knew for sure that she'd wake up… What could he do to stop everything from going wrong again?

Somehow he managed to hold himself up by grasping the corner of the desk, and he sighed in relief at the fact that he'd be able to make it out of the room freely.

Misty has stopping turning in her bed and so Ash made positive that Pikachu was on his shoulder before hop scotching his way towards the door. He was barely two inches from the hallway when he stopped himself short.

Hold on… I came here to tell Misty how I feel about her… Why am I running? I'm no coward… He gave an affirmative nod before turning back towards Misty.

He walked over and stood by her site, holding out a hand to shake her awake. He knelt over her and pressed his palm to her shoulder and – slam – a door from downstairs opened and shut with a resounding snap, and a voice shouted upstairs from the foyer.

"Like, Misty! I'm back!"

Misty's eyes blinked open and she closed them again, letting out a half-yawn… Before realizing that Ash Ketchum was standing over her with his hand on her shoulder.

And Misty did the one thing that any teenage girl would do in that situation; she screamed. Loud.

"Oh, my God, Ash, you idiot! I can't believe you're in my room again, trespassing! I should charge you with Breaking and Entering!" Misty swatted his hand away, jumping to her feet, "I really should--"

"--But, technically, there was no breaking involved…" Ash attempted sheepishly, any means of a confession dying immediately in his throat.

"Not yet, anyway." Misty scowled, but only part of her mind seemed to carry any violent tendencies because she took the moment to pull him into a one-armed hug, "You're lucky that I'm just glad to see you, over-all."

"--Misty, what's, like – oh…" The two teens broke apart as Daisy came tumbling through the doorway, recovering with a knowing grin, "You two could have, like, told me that you'd finally become an item… My little sister is, like, starting to grow up, isn't she?"

"Hey, hold it! We're not together like that! Duh! I haven't seen Ash in over two months! Am I not allowed to greet him without a catcalling audience?" Misty ranted, "I mean, really… Right, Ash?" She turned to him in expectance of his usual blunt denial of a reaction, but he seemed to have taken a more bashful retreat.

"Well, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that, Misty. Uhm, you see…"

"Awe, Snubble Love is just, like, so adorable." Daisy continued pining over the two trainers while Misty tried to push her out the door. It was a tough act to pull off, stubbornness, but she had always been a good actor.

"C'mon, Daisy! Just get out of here. Ash obviously wants to talk to me about something, and your hair is lacking its natural curl." The redhead stated, knowing full-well the reaction she'd get.

"Like, oh, my God! Where's my hairspray! MY CURLING IRON!" She wailed, running off to the bathroom. She had just enough of a chance to say, "Don't, like, do anything that I wouldn't do!" before Misty slammed the door behind her.

"So, what's, uh, been on your mind…?"

Ash knew that sitting down for this would be the best thing for both of them but his throat didn't seem to have the ability to voice such a gesture. His mouth opened wordlessly, reminding Misty of a Goldeen.

She would have laughed if she hadn't recognized that expression, that speech impediment, only too well. She'd always had some issues when it came to open admittance about her feelings for Ash.

"I guess I should thank you, after all…" She gave a half-sarcastic laugh, "If you hadn't snuck a peek in my diary, I probably wouldn't ever have gotten the chance to be honest with you. I mean, it was such a huge secret for almost three years… Who knows if I'd have ever jumped the gun and told you on my own…"

Her words seemed to undo the lockjaw Ash was having issues with.  
"I… I love you, Misty!"

There was a vast, sweeping silence between them as Misty tried to comprehend his statement. It was all very blurred, like a strong wind was blowing in her ears, keeping her from understanding properly. Slowly, she came to grasp exactly what had just happened.

"I-wait… What?" Misty stepped backwards towards the doorway, seemingly frightened that he was going to do something drastic as jump her, "You're saying that…"

"You believe honesty is the guide to a healthy relationship, right…? Well, I'm going to be totally honest with you, then…" He looked up at her for the first time, "When I first found out about-about how you felt, and we started talking about it, one of the first thoughts was_ 'oh, no'_…"

Misty's expression sunk into a deep sadness at that comment.

"…But it wasn't an _'Ugh, no way am I ever going to put up with this' _type of _'oh, no'_… It was more like a _'How do we drive past this huge sinkhole without maximum car damage?' _type… I mean, I told you to expect something of me, right? I wouldn't have said that if I knew there was no chance of me ever feeling that way towards you…"

"B-but how are you sure that you do feel that way for me? I mean, what could possibly have changed?"

"I don't know exactly… I talked to my mom about this for one thing… I asked her how she might feel if our relationship, that is to say, yours and mine, became more of a priority for me than mine with her… She said that there was a chance of her feeling angry, bitter, upset… And do you know what she told me next? She said that it was okay, however much she had to give up for my happiness, because it's part of a mothers' job to sacrifice for the sake of their children." Misty looked like she was getting closer to tears with every word he spoke. With slight resentment in his tone, Ash continued, "But that in itself isn't all; I feel wrong for saying this, but that she would forego so much… I was okay with her having to lose me. I guess that that's how much I care about you."

"Ash… I don't ever want to be the cause for one of your other relationships to die out. Besides, knowing that you feel the same for me as I do for you… That's enough for me. Do you realize that those three years I spent crushing on you were the hardest of my life? Harder than the time my parents died, than my time here alone, managing the gym… You wrecked me, somehow."

"I'm… Sorry?"

"It's alright now. I would have lived through it either way, but you've made it so much easier by picking up the pieces. Thanks for telling me, Ash… I love you, too." She hooked arms with him and gave a small laugh, "But, then, you've known that for awhile now."

They stood there like that for about two minutes until, Ash, evading her eyes, started talking again.

"So, uh… Now what?"

"Oh…! Let's see…" Misty started ticking off a list of events on her fingers, "You found out how I felt, took some time to figure out your feeling for me, accepted how I felt and reciprocated it… Hmm," In normal tones again, "Well, I'd say all of that constitutes the first passionate kiss of our relationship…"

"--Mwah!"

"--But this is the first time this has happened to me, obviously, so I'm not sure…"

There was another extended silence. Ash contemplated removing her grip from his arm and making a run for it back to Pallet… Before remembering that Misty had known for a long time now where he lived.

"So… D-do you want to kiss…?"

"Well, we're going to have to at some point… Maybe it's best to get that first one over with…"

Ash didn't reply with words but, rather nodded silently. They both closed their eyes and started to lean towards each other, their heartbeats quickening to the point that they could barely breathe…

A split second later, Misty opened her eyes and turned her head so that Ash's lips smashed immaturely against her cheek. His eyes opened as well at this point, noticing that something didn't feel right. He broke away from her questioningly.

"Sometimes it's okay to move ahead and get it over with, but other times, when the participants are either unsure or so nervous that they drool on each other," She took a moment to wipe at her face and Ash turned pink with embarrassment, "It's probably better to wait until everything's perfect, so that everyone can be sure to control their saliva level. The first kiss is supposed to be special, after all."

"O-oh… So this would probably be a bad time to let you know that I kissed you while you were sleeping…"

"_Very _bad…" She glared.

"…Twice…"

"Wow; you just don't understand the concept of a glare, do you?"

"Hey, you're the one who said that honesty was the best policy in a relationship." He attempted to shrug nonchalantly but he was too worried for his life for his brain to send the signal to his muscles.

"Not when that honesty could mess the relationship up!" Misty replied exasperatedly, "The way I see it, you owe me now. And I've got the perfect assignment for you."

He sighed, "What is it…?"

"You, my little honey-bunny, get to tell my sisters about 'us'."

"Well, that… That doesn't seem so bad…"

"You've never heard my sisters' reactions after someone's admitted to them about a relationship, have you?" She walked over to her bed and picked up a couple of pillows, tossing one to Ash, "You'll need that."  
OoO

"Wait, you're writing up a sequel to the Mermaid play?" Misty asked, shocked, "You guys can't be serious… I mean, c'mon, what more is there to add to the story? 'Mermaid girl lives peacefully with Pokemon, peace gets disrupted by evil Poke-Poachers, prince arrives to help save the day, peace is restored for the mermaid and the Pokemon'; the end."

"Not exactly; that play, like, revolved around the Mermaid's friendship with the Pokemon. The sequel's going to, like, revolve around her relationship with the prince."

"I'm not having a relationship with you, even if it is fabricated! No way!" Misty shouted, turning red with embarrassment at the very thought.

"If you haven't forgotten, like, Team Loser locked me in a locker, remember? Ash had to, like, take my place." Daisy stated, disgruntled, "Everyone knows that a sequel is, like, no good if the actors aren't the same. It'd totally kill the, like, mood for me to play the part. But now that you two are together, and hopefully just a bit more comfortable with each other, we can do this."

"Wait; I distinctly remember the prince costume sporting tights. I don't _do _tights, and I never will in a million years."

"Huh… How'd this sequel go again?" Misty asked eagerly, grinning cattily at the thought of Ash in such a humorous position.

"Well, the Poachers, furious that they were, like, thwarted in their attempt to capture the, like, Water Pokemon, kidnap the Mermaid and hold her hostage, like, hoping that the Water Pokemon will come to save her, thus walking, er, swimming straight into their trap. Luckily, the, like, Water Pokemon knew that the prince, who, like, loved Pokemon so dearly, would do anything to help them--"

"--I am not wearing the tights. How many times do I have to tell you? I'm not wearing the poofy shirt either, for that matter." Ash interrupted.

"C'mon! Like, sacrifices must be made for the sake of art--"

"--When they made up that saying, I'm sure that they didn't mean a modern teenage boy's dignity." He mumbled.

The three older sisters sighed in dismay, "Well, I, like, guess that means that we'll, like, have to call up that other friend of yours. The, like, squinty-eyed one. He was there too, wasn't he? We only, like, need one prince for this to work. We just thought that you'd, like, wanna work with each other… I mean, there is this, like, huge romantic scene in there…"

"Hold it. I am not doing any of that type of stuff with Brock--"

"--You've got that right; you're not!" Ash made them all jump as he leapt from his seat in anger… Or jealousy… Or both.

"Great! So you'll, like, do it, then?" Violet asked.

Ash reclaimed the chair he was using and sighed, unsure of what to do. There was really only one legal choice if he didn't want to kidnap his older friend and hide him away until after this was all over. And even if he did do that, Misty would have to perform with some other boy… No. There was only one way around this.

"Like, hello?" One of the Waterflower sisters asked.

"F-fine; I'll do it…"

There was some hugging and shrieking as the three girls jumped around for joy. Ash sighed embarrassedly, an image of him in the costume he'd be forced to wear entering his mind.

"Oh, my, like, God! We have to start getting ready! The show starts in three months, after all! We have to, like, fit your for your costume, skim and practice the skit in depth and - where'd did we put the waterproof make-up?" Daisy turned to the other two sisters and the three of them clamored from their seats in excitement.

"Hey, Ash! It's your mom!" Misty's voice called from the lobby. He hadn't beard the phone ring or noticed his… girlfriend (it was weird calling her that)… get up from her seat, but he was happy for the escape route non-the-less.

"Thanks." He said blushingly to Misty as she handed him the receiver, "Uhm, hi Mom; sorry that I haven't called yet. I only arrived here a few hours ago--"

he was suddenly interrupted by a bright flash that temporarily blinded him so that all he could see was a lot of spots for the first few seconds afterward.

"—What was that…?" He asked distantly.

His mother was holding up a Polaroid camera in one hand and waving a four-by-four photo in the other before she stopped and took a moment to look at it.

"Oh, my little boy looks so different now that he's in his first relationship…!" The woman squealed, giggling like a teenage schoolgirl, "I'm proud of you, Ash! Misty told me how you came right out and told her how you lived her. It wasn't exactly subtle, but at least you didn't waste a lot of precious time beating around the bush."

"Thanks, I guess, mom. It was you Brock that convinced me that this was the right way to go, though."

"You took advice on love from Brock… And it worked?" Misty snuck up behind him, "I almost think that he's worthy of a girls' affection now… Huh…"

"Well, why'd you call, mom?" Ash asked.

"I'm sorry to say this, but I did only give you permission to see Misty in order to tell her how you felt. Now that you've done that, you have to come home and face your punishment for staying with her unsupervised for a week and not even bothering to tell me." A sudden fire burned bright in her eyes; one that could only exist in the expression of an adult with vast authority.

"Awe, but mom, look at what a happy couple we are…" He took Misty around the shoulders and held her close, "You wouldn't wanna be the one to ruin this, would you?" he followed his comment up with his best ever puppy-dog face.

Suddenly, there was the sound of three pairs of feet pounding down the stairs behind them and Ash, Misty, and Mrs. Ketchum looked around to see the oldest Waterflowers, each holding something in their arms. Daisy and Lilly were sporting many different fabrics and Violet was holding something that looked suspiciously like a really big make-up chest, upon which sat a thick booklet.

"Like, look! We found the nylon!" Lilly shouted ecstatically, holding it up.

Ash shuddered and slowly turned back around, letting go of Misty.

"Nevermind… I'll see you in a few days. Bye!" They exchanged nods and he hurriedly put down the receiver and shoved past the four girls to get his backpack next to which Pikachu was napping, "Get up, Pika-buddy! We're leaving."

The rodent cautiously reached his feet, confused about his masters' feelings. Then he hopped from the table and ran to Misty, giving her a quick hug goodbye. By his sudden change in pace, it was easy to tell that the Pokemon had recognized the threatening materials in the girls' hands and quite possibly thought that they were going to dress him in some frighteningly frilly object, as well.

"Right; say goodbye to Misty. Eh, sorry guys but it looks like we're going to have to… Reschedule this." It was noted that the three sisters were smarter than given credit for, as they could see he wasn't exactly excited at the prospect of his future costume fitting. They sulked out unhappily and Ash, still not wanting to slow down, called Pikachu to jump onto his shoulder, and the mouse obliged.

"So I guess that I'll see you when I see you. Next time, I mean…"

"I guess so…" Misty turned her face towards the door, obviously sad to see him go.

Ash bit his lip. He could just pat her on the back and walk away, but that seemed even more uncomfortable at this point than making out with her. And so he decided to meet her halfway and kiss her cheek. He leaned forward to do so, much less nervous than last time since he knew what he was doing, but--

"Ash, uh--"

She had turned back to face him and, in the process, had caught him full on the lips. There wasn't any real intimacy, though, and they pulled away before they had to.

"D-did we just…?" She started.

"Uhm, yea, I think we did… But… Does that count? I mean, it wasn't exactly what I was going for…" Ash let his head drop in embarrassment.

"I don't really know… Maybe we'll try again some other time. That wasn't what I was thinking it'd be like either…"

"Okay, well, uhm, I guess I should just go… Oh; I'll call you before showing up next time…" He stated sheepishly, his hand scratching his neck, memories about her reaction to seeing him so suddenly in her bedroom earlier that day catching up to him.

"Yea, you do that." He could tell by the look on her face that she remembered it all very clearly as well.

"So… Bye…" And he started walking towards the front doors, leaving her behind, "Oh, by the way…"

Misty looked up, somewhat hopefully, like she expected something lovely or affectionate of him in that last moment.

"…What was your phone number again?"

OoOoO

**Notes**: YES! I'm finally finished! Thank God; I was beginning to think that some of you rabid fans would hunt me down if I didn't update soon. Lol. Was I wrong? Lol. Oh, uh… Lesse… Something else to say… Well, I pretty much explained everything in the first notes column, so… But just to remind you, if you'd like a sample of my next fic (talked about at the beginning of this chapter), then just request it in your review and, if you don't have an FFN account where I can access your email address, please leave that as well.

Anyway… Oh, yea!

OoO

Now it's time for the **Shout-Outs**!

First, so **Sensational Sista** - Yea, Ash thinking so deeply is pretty funny, but it's kind of like a necessity when you're writing a romance fiction. Lol.

_RiptideDragon_ - Alright! New reviewer! Everyone do The Monkey with me! -Chibi continues with a strange jig- Oh, right; review… Uhm, yea, I know cliffhangers can be a bit of an issue for readers when the fic is actually pretty good. Let's just say that this is revenge for all those times I started a really sweet fic and the author either discontinued it, or didn't update for about two years. Heh.

**Gladdecease** - "That was good! Not exactly the best, but… still good!" -- Truer words haven't been spoken. Lol. It wasn't that great; I didn't really even like it. But it's really your opinions that matter, not mine.

**Chaos-Paladin** - Thanks so much for the compliment! Writers' Block kills, but I do try my hardest, even if it takes sitting in front of a blank computer screen for about four hours for something to come to me. Also, thanks for not caps-locking everything and yelling that I shouldn't have left such an evil cliffhanger… Lol. I get that way too often, anyway.

**Jillie Rose** - Hell, yea! "Huzzah!" is my nonsense action word of the week! XD I'm sorry for plugging that gap. I know it seems good to be full from a nice batch of fluff, but it can get very tiring. I offer you a free chimney sweep, mate. Lol.

**Steveo **- Well, to answer your request, "Closure" is posted on Serebii. Er, I'm currently working on uploading those chapters there. Afterwards, I'll do the same for Possibilities.

**Brogramn **- Ah! I'm sorry! I didn't think you'd feel insulted by my calling you a big "fan". I mean, you are a dear friend of mine, even if we've never met, and I value your opinions and everything. I just called you that because it seemed a bit right when commenting on your review… Sorry, again. But don't worry, I'll try to refrain from making that mistake more than once. Lol.

**Chibi-Muse-chan **- My God… That review you sent me was over 64 kb's in size! I'm thankful but… Yee… That's weird. Lol. And don't worry; there's plenty more of my writing to check out.

**Aislin Oriel** - Well, first of all, when Misty went to check on the door, she wasn't napping. She was in the Arena, cleaning or… something. Lol. Then, after seeing that no one was there, she went upstairs for a nap because she'd barely slept at all since Ash had left her. It was just some insomnia trouble. That's why she didn't wake up so immediately. She was just so thoroughly exhausted. And… The writers' block is beaten! Hoosha! Also, thanks for your reviews on… Like, every other fic I've written… Lol.

Sorry, but that's all that I can stand to type, and I want this chapter up sooner rather than later, so thanks to everyone, once again, for their beloved fanshippyness. You've made my day! Er… Well, actually, you've made my two months. Lol.

**Sensational Sista **

RiptideDragon

Gladdecease

ChibiBotan88

Silverflare07

Chaos Paladin

Jirachi the Legend

Jillie Rose

Story Weaver1

MistyLover87

Hakajin

Steveo

MistyShrine

Brogramn

Bluejolteon

AbsolKitty

Chibi-Muse-chan

Miss passionfruit

Lord Cynic

Aislin Oriel  
Chaos Shadow

Hikashi Suzuki

Jade destiny

Forever Wished

WingedWisdom

Kingdomhearts222

Koronis

Sykilik101

The Eternal Hyper

Uranasu

Big poke fan

My Dream's Shadow

Beha

Soft Flame Matthias

DigiDestined of Courage

WaterBlaster

Queztaxx

Mulatdood

Mocchi

Funkyafroman

KawaiiCherryBlossom

Itoshi Haruko

WiseAbsol

Ash and misty 4life

Vulpix4Life

Samuraiduck27

Leo  
xox.Annie Potter.xox

xSPiNx

alexis

richy

SitDog-Boy

Cool Crystal Girl

Katie Nat

Tamar-Shakira

Lexington's Hammer

OoO

Kudos to all of you for reading and reviewing Chibi's finest work!


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